K-Drama recommendations

[boatyardblues]

A K-drama thread was suggested on the Netflix subtitled gems thread so we can discuss in more depth without swamping the other thread. There are a lot of Korean films & boxsets on Netflix and I’m discovering the quality is variable, so I thought this would be a goid place to swap recommendations (and ‘avoids’). So far, I have hugely enjoyed:

• Something in the Rain
• Mr Sunshine (new episodes still dropping weekly)
• Live

Would also love to hear how closely these dramas represent real life in Korea from anyone who has lived there. Its fascinating learning about another culture.

I would just like applaud the Kdrama film crews for not letting blazing sunshine get in the way of a good rain scene. Seen it a few times now, but a really outstanding example in Suspicious Partner. 👌

Their filming schedules must be pretty tight as everything seems to take place in one season!
Ji Chang Wook is currently doing his military service so there won’t be anything new from him for a while .
He is also rather good in The K2 if you can find it anywhere.
I tried out Noble my Love last night which was like watching Dramaworld for real. 15 minute episodes with just about every kdrama trope in there. One to watch while ironing. Or playing kdrama bingo with soju.

Ha ha ha.

I love how the swear words are bleeped out in Suspicious Partner, but the subtitler has included the translations in full.

That’s funny! I will have to check the subtitles out as I watched it first on Viki which is subbed by volunteers so is probably different.

I am looking for something to watch that will follow on nicely from the feel of Don’t Dare to Dream & Suspicious Partner. I am dithering between:

The Producers on Netflix with Gong Hyo-Jin
This Is My First Life on Viki
The Liar & His Lover which I heard the OST for and has the lead from Moorim School in

Anyone got any views?

I haven’t seen any of those, but before I started on Black I watched the first half hour of about 3 or 4 dramas until I felt “the pull”. It really came down to how engaged I was by the leads mainly, but also the production values and whether the level of kook sat right with me. The vet/CEO one that you mildly dissed upthread (Noble My Love?) was swiftly rejected. I found that I had to drag myself away from ep 2 of Black, so once I struck gold it was decisive.

I do the same with books - read the first couple of pages to see if the writer piques my interest.

Healer next.

Go for it!! Some totally swoony moments in there

On the basis of 'pull' I am now watching Because This Is My First Life which, while not as crack addictive as Black or Don't Dare to Dream is skating along very nicely.

It's about housemates who marry for financial reasons and reflects quite a lot on modern day life for 30-somethings in Seoul. The subtitlers at Viki often add helpful explanations for phrases such as one I've come across before but not understood, which is Hell-Joseon, used to describe the difficulties for young people in modern-day South Korea.

Be interested if you have any insights on that seadays

I am not immediately enjoying Healer, but I am swayed by your recommendation and will give it a go Betty. Don’t Dare to Dream has set the bar high in terms of enjoyment, smart dialogue and, well, that particular erotic charge that seems peculiar to the best slow burning Kdrama romances.

It took a couple of episodes to get into it because I was confused by the back story. I admit I prefer the slightly more grown-up element of Dont Dare to Dream

I may rewatch some of Don’t Dare to Dream, as I was in too much of a hurry to get to the end to savour it.

I did the same, I noticed a lot more subtleties in Jo Jung-Suk’s performance second tome stound.

?? time around

Maybe I’ll have some Healer early in the evening, with Don’t Dare before I turn in - seeing as I know the story arc, there should be less temptation to pull an all-nighter/binge.

I take it all back. Just rolled over into ep 2 and I love that all her Dad’s ex con friends taught her to safecrack etc. Great plot twist. Very promising.

I anticipate Healer being all done in c 3 days. Its addictive. I am confused about the people in the photo, though. Woman in wheelchair is same woman, her husband is also in the pic - driver of the jeep and older brother of now hawt reporter, but not the baby daddy of the missing girl. So that’s 3/5. Healer’s (dead or disappeared?) Dad makes 4 and the Master is 5, or is the Master Healer’s Dad? So confused. Is missing girl hawt reporter’s bio niece or not? Just finished with the punch up in the orchid house. Nips along, doesn’t it?

The five people in the photo are Healer’s dad, his Master, woman in wheelchair, her dead husband and her current husband. Hawt reporter took the photo as a young boy.

Hawt reporter is younger brother of rich man and brother in law to woman in wheelchair. Missing girl is not his bio niece but niece in law

The motorcyclist lookout is the Master, right? So who is Ms Jo to them?

She’s the handler (when she’s not knitting or making kimbap)

Oh I know she’s the handler. I mean that the Master refers to her as Detective Jo around ep 6 or 7, which made me wonder if she started out as a cybercrimes detective and is gamekeeper turned poacher.

Got it in one! She has links with the detectives that is trying to catch the Healer.

Ji Chang Wook in his “engagement party” tux is mighty fine. I’ve had to break off just at the point they are headed to the press conference to do some proper parenting. Bah!

Nooooooo!! Gah! parenting is not conducive to immersive kdrama binge watching
Good job ds has just started university so I only have to worry about feeding DH (occasionally)
Sweet moment in the tux later - need an emoticon for the finger heart symbols